Vicar Joel Beyer
We face the Giant of rejection in a number of ways, including when we reject others based on worldly measurements. King David, was rejected by his brothers, even his father as a worthy candidate for King. But God looks at the heart when choosing people to carry out his important work of building His kingdom. This message looks at what having a God-Seeking Heart is all about.
We all have giants in our lives that cause us to focus on the negative. Young shepherd boy David chose instead to look at God's power and promise when facing Goliath. When we focus on the power of the Gospel, we realize that God is much bigger than any of the giants in our lives.
God had Joshua build a monument of stones from the bottom of the Jordan River to remind the Israelites of how he delivered them into the promised land. Our lives as living stones serve as reminders to us and to the world of what God has done and is doing in our lives.
Dead people don't rise from the dead right? Jesus did! And he moved a giant stone to prove it. Stones in our life block us from seeing the freedom and life of the empty tomb, but God is in the business of moving stones. There is no stone too big for God, not then, not ever.
Have you ever had the thought, "I'm not good enough"? The devil loves to convince us that nothing, not even God will ever make us good enough. But in Christ, we have been given a new identity, not based on what other people say or our past experiences, but on what He did for us on the cross. He has made us complete in Him.
Do you believe the lie, "This is Just the Way I Am"? Do you believe that you can't have victory over some of the strongholds in your life. Find out what Jesus has to say about being transformed by His power.
"A lie believed as truth will affect you as if it is true." Hear about what lies we often believe and what God has to say about them. How does God's strength help us to overpower these lies in our life?
In the transfiguration event, Jesus showed His glory in an extraordinary way! But for our sake, He came back down the mountain to give us His love in powerful, yet seemingly ordinary ways.
Jesus could have had fame and glory if he had stayed in the towns where he was popular, but he prayed and then chose to move on to unreached towns. What does this mean for us as a new satellite? We can be thankful for the "success" that has thus been achieved, but we are to continue praying for new people to join us and to reach out to our community with the love of Christ. On this Sunday, we also pray for our members and missionaries who are reaching out to people around the world.
